The plant has seen better days. The inevitable and unstoppable scrappers are devouring the structure. Driving rusty pick-up trucks with unstable trailers and armed with torches the secretive workers are removing the support beams. I am no structural engineer but I suspect this may accelerate the natural spiral of decay.

This is readily visible in the numerous imploding warehouses and sagging bridges. Few, like two, businesses soldier on in the decaying buildings. Unfortunately, this awesome relic of manufacturing might has caught the eye of movie editing hack Michael Bay. He’s hoping to distract movie watchers from his lack of a plot or even simple continuity by blowing the Packard Plant up.

This “garage band scene” roughly from the period of the mid 1980s to the early 2000s, bred some fiesty creativity and characters.  The Documentary tells it like it is, letting the gritty Underbelly of the Detroit Rock scene bask in the sunlight, getting a more attractive bronze.  By the end you are glorifying the grit in your mind, wanting more passion and inspiration to be seen at any venue, so you can at least TRY to capture a snipet of energy the movie reveals to you. This energy was not born out of greed.  It is clear in the docuementary that the incentive “to rock” is to find the nirvana one attains in the creative process, with other like minded, supportive folks.

It is nice to see the positive people and ideas that have come, and continue, to come from Detroit, since we are in a time when the great majority of media focuses constantly on the negative.

you can still see this badass doc at Brew & View TONIGHT, THURSDAY doors open at 8 and the film starts at 9.30.

CHECK IT.

 It was the first time standing in the middle of an art exhibit that all the eyes were on me.  And I was forced to look back into them.   Four walls of unfamiliar faces staring at you.    At Patrick Pantano’s latest art exhibition, you are forced to look into the eyes of all sorts of unfamiliar characters.  In his artistic statement he notes:

“To relax the subjects and try to bring them to a place where their expression did little to inform the tone of the image; to shoot them all with the same minimal lighting and the same film, camera, and processing to hopefully create some sense of similarity. That said they are all so different!” 

           It’s true. No matter how we try to compartimentalize people and things, what is it that makes every stare so unique?  At first, the room is quite abrasive.  How often are we so at ease to stare, this closely,  into someone’s eyes?  For most this experience is to be avoided.  Presentations, family parties, bitter exes and prick bosses.   But here, your purpose is to stare. By the end, you are among friends.  After all that ogling, the stares seem so familiar, they haunt you and you swear, I’ve seen that person somewhere before.  A party or something.

Pantano’s Exhibition, “Heads Shot”, is running from May 8-July 3, 2009 @ the CAID.

you have sooo much going for you, can’t you see?! or are you blinded by the possibilities and options??????

it is the first of may and there is already sooooo much to do tonight and tomorrow night and even Sunday!!!

tonight you should go here.  drink here or here .

the next night you should GAWK AT these kids and these kids.  the former will make you feel like a child prodigy. the latter will make you feel unaccomplished and old – but not bored or pathetic – like if you had sat on the couch instead.

and if that doesn’t tickle your fancy go to the Belmont and see the amazing line up they have there Sat. nite.

you can recover from your vicious hangover at Goldfish Tea from 7-9pm no cover and listen to Jesse Calcat play traditional Chinese instruments and chill and drink something a little less rough on the body. LAPSANG on the rocks, bitches…

Social networks like Twitter.

While cruising around the site I’ve found there are quite a few Detroit related tweeters(?) as well. Among them are the Detroit News, Free Press, even DTW. A simple search for “Detroit” turns up tons of accounts, so I’ll spare you all the details and allow you to decide which is most interesting. But you can get everything from cutting edge news to mundane updates from your neighbors. As I mentioned, you can even find me on there. Of course, I might not be all that interesting to most of you cats, but you’re welcome to follow me just the same.

Go ahead, Detroit. Explore your digital surroundings… and leave a comment with your Twitter account if you’re already connected. Let your fellow Detroiters connect with you!

Mosey yourself down to the FILLMORE theater (which some of us still want to call State) on Woodward, tomorrow from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm.  I’ve gone to this banquet of crafts for 3 years in a row and always find something great for friends.  And if I don’t find what I want, I leave with a bagful of inspiration – like last year when I melted a record album into a sweet fruit bowl. Because frankly, these products are brainchild’s of a Martha Stewart with a full sleeve, after 3 screwdrivers. They are ultra unique and one of kind – and not busting the bank!  YAY for people who are crafty that I can buy from and make my own taste look far better than it actually is!